Social media zeroes in on one action: Being social. Simple, right? Well, not exactly. It’s easy to connect with users by liking a post or leaving a comment, but doing it properly and in a professional manner can make all the difference when networking on social media.
Avoid these mistakes to make sure your audience isn’t cutting the cord to your conversation.
1. Following Everyone and Anyone
If you were using Tinder, you wouldn’t swipe right on everyone you see. Maintain that selectivity when it comes to your professional social media as well. Network with accounts that are relevant to your brand. Following hundreds of users on Twitter in hopes that they follow back and boost your number of followers is not the best way to network. While the follow-for-follow technique is popular, it’s extremely ineffective!
When networking, stay within your industry or area of expertise. For example, if you’re promoting a vegan food delivery subscription service, there’s no point in following a big fan of BBQ. The accounts you choose to follow are also a reflection of your brand. So be careful!
2. Being Unresponsive
It’s never fun being “left on read,” and companies can make the same mistake on social media by leaving their fans hanging. Whether it’s a negative or positive comment, a brand should do its best to respond to each and every interaction, even if it’s just a simple thank you! That direct communication with your audience shows that you will go above and beyond for your customers. Your positive effort won’t go unnoticed.
3. Having An Inconsistent Voice
If you’re going to speak, speak clearly and consistently! It can be an incredibly confusing experience for a customer to feel like they’re speaking to multiple people at once. Your brand voice should be clearly identified before you begin networking on social. Are you warm and friendly? Smart and sassy? Strictly informative? Whatever characteristics you chose to adopt for your brand, make sure they’re true to your company values, and you can’t go wrong.
4. Not Utilizing Direct Message Features
Some conversations are meant to be had in private. If a negative comment is left on your page, there are two things you should always do: Address it publicly, so your other page fans know that you will respond to feedback, but also do your best to move it to a private messaging system on that specific channel. If the commenter has anything else negative to say, it can be handled out of the public eye, and your damage control duties will be a lot easier to manage.
5. Forgetting To Follow Up
Bonus points for this one here! Sometimes when interacting with a customer, they’ll stop responding. If the conversation is over, it’s fine to move on, but if you were helping them with a customer service issue, it’s worth it to be thorough. While it’s easy to drop the conversation and move on with your social media management, taking the extra step to follow up with that person and ask if their problem was resolved or if they need any more assistance can leave a lasting impression.
Do you have any questions about social media? Tweet us at @KWSMTeam on Twitter!
